Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WWL) has introduced further comfort for Veterans under its care.
Within the Wigan Borough there is a community of over 22,000 Armed Forces personnel and Veterans who live and access healthcare at the Trust. Following patient feedback, WWL’s Armed Forces and Patient Experience Teams have purchased blankets to give comfort to those in their final hours.
Towards the end of 2024, an event was held at Wigan’s Armed Forces HQ, to officially launch the initiative, with the relatives of a Veteran who inspired the movement present.
Joanne Lee, WWL’s Armed Forces Navigator, supported Alan Lancaster, a Veteran who was cared for at the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary and who found comfort holding a poppy throughout his end of life journey. At WWL hospitals, there is a poppy displayed on each Veteran’s bed as a symbol the patient was, or is, a serving member of the Armed Forces.
Joanne said: “Before he died, Alan told us that he felt very proud that we recognised his Armed Forces service and he took the poppy with him everywhere he went in the hospital - to every scan, test or ward move, he always had it with him.
“Alan chose to go home for his last weeks to spend time with his family and the poppy went with him. He very sadly died shortly after going home with our WWL Armed Forces Team and his family around him holding his precious poppy.”
As a more comfortable and respectful way to demonstrate WWL’s recognition for those patients and families from our Armed Forces community experiencing end of life care, blankets displaying the Armed Forces flag will be provided for every Veteran in the Trust’s hospitals and for those being cared for in the community, as a sign of respect and gratitude for their service.
The blankets will remain with the Veteran and can be laid to rest with them or given to their family to remember their loved one.
This initiative has been supported by WWL’s End of Life Team and the Armed Forces HQ in Wigan and, initially, 30 blankets were purchased with money raised from raffles and donations, but it is hoped that more can be bought for future use.
Kev Parker-Evans, WWL’s Chief Nursing Officer said: “Our Veteran community is incredibly important to us at WWL, and we hope these blankets bring some comfort to all our Veterans and their families. We hope this will go some way in providing them recognition for their service and shows our pride as a Trust to continuing to support our Armed Forces community in Wigan.”
If you would like to donate money to buy a blanket for a Veteran, please contact WWL’s Armed Forces Healthcare Team AFHealthcare@wwl.nhs.uk or, alternatively, donations for £25 per blanket can be made at any of our cashiers offices for the WWL Three Wishes Charity, please reference the Armed Forces Fund.